Emissora Nacional (Rua do Quelhas)

In 1974 the Emissora Nacional, the regime’s official radio station, stood at no. 2 Rua do Quelhas. The Armed Forces Movement (MFA) wanted to occupy it, to have it as a reserve broadcaster and to stop the regime from using it.¹ The mission fell to the Serra da Carregueira Firing Range, with Captains Oliveira Pimentel and Frederico Morais, who had few men: they set out with 47 — the two captains, a conscript lieutenant, four officer cadets and 40 other ranks — in two heavy vehicles and a jeep.² (The “Lugares de Abril” page, by the same association, speaks of about a hundred soldiers; this entry follows the detailed count in the chronology.)¹

They disarmed the PSP guards, who put up no resistance, and Captain Frederico Morais telephoned the Command Post: “We have occupied TOKYO without any incident.” The station suspended its broadcasts at 07:50, and at 08:30 a communiqué of the Movement was read here for the first time.²¹

During the attempted coup of 11 March 1975, at around 13:00, the 5th Division of the General Staff occupied the station and began broadcasting communiqués that alerted the population to the troop movements under way and called for support for the MFA.⁴ The Emissora Nacional declared itself the “only authorised voice”, Captain Duran Clemente spoke into its microphones, and the workers organised pickets outside it.⁵

On 25 November 1975, the station was occupied at 17:00 by Military Police and COPCON forces; half an hour later, the Military Police radio was calling for reinforcements to defend it.⁶